Rustlers kill 7 in Isiolo dawn raid

September 7, 2011 3:57 pm

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By BERNARD MOMANYI, NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 7 – At least seven people were killed and four others wounded on Wednesday morning in a cattle-rustling incident that occurred in Merti area of Eastern Province.

Those killed were from the Borana community who were shot dead in their manyattas by raiders believed to be from Samburu, according to police.

Police said the raid occurred on Wednesday morning and caught villagers in the manyattas in Kom area of Merti district off guard.

“A search for stolen animals is currently underway. We have already recovered some of them,” the police officer added. Those killed were said to be members of an extended family. Their bodies were buried on Wednesday.

There was tension in the region for the better part of Wednesday after residents held demonstrations to protest what they termed as “lack of commitment by the police to end cattle rustling.”

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere led a high-powered security team to the area to assess the situation.

“There has been an incident in Isiolo and there are people who have been killed. Even the Police Commissioner has gone there to assess the situation,” Police Spokesman Erick Kiraithe told Capital News at a function the police chief was scheduled to officiate in Lang’ata, Nairobi.

Incidents of cattle rustling are common in the upper Eastern, North Eastern, and Rift Valley provinces in Kenya which are home to pastoral communities.

BERNARD MOMANYI is the News Editor at Capital FM. He commands over a decade of experience in news gathering having worked in both print and electronic media. He holds a BSc degree in Information Sciences from Moi University and is now pursuing a Masters Degree at the University of Nairobi.